The Heat, off a 4-2 West Coast trip, has reason to feel better about itself than at any time this season, having closed to within three games of .500, at 13-16, and a game behind No. 7 Charlotte and No. 8 Orlando in a battle for an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
But some ESPN analysts offered some sobering analysis in recent days.
On a podcast last weekend with information king Adrian Wojnarowksi, respected longtime ESPN NBA writer Zach Lowe said: “I’m not sure any team in the league has a bleaker outlook than Miami.”
The Heat, without any superstars on its roster, is already well above next year’s salary cap and won’t be able to clear substantial cap space until the summer of 2020.